Refrigerating apparatus



Sept. 14, 1937.

J. R. FEHR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed 001;. 31.1.934

- INVENTOR, M r4. ah 1 J M & 224

ATTORNEY Sept; 14, 1937. J. R. FEHR v 2,092,963

Filed Oct. 31, 1954 with means for positioning one or more shelvesPatented Sept. 14, 1 937 BEFBIGERATING APPARATUS John R. Fehr, Dayton,Ohio, assignor'to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, atcorporation of Delaware Application October 31, 1934, Serial No. 750,871

1 Claim.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularlyto refrigerator cabinet constructions having adjustable shelves.

Heretofore, in providing refrigerator cabinets therein at difl'erentlevels in order to permit the user to adjust the shelf spacing to suithis particular needs, it has been customary to provides.

plurality of sets of shelf supports on the inner wall of therefrigerator cabinet foreach shelf in such a manner that a shelf may bepositioned ,to cooperate with any one of the set of supports. It is alsodesirable in refrigerator cabinets for household use to avoid the use ofshelf supporting devices which create corners or pockets which arediihcult to clean in order to facilitate the maintenance of thecabinetin a sanitary condition.

For this reason, it has been common to form slight depressions orprotuberances in the inner wall of the cabinet itself for shelfsupports. In a cabinet where each of the shelves is adjustable, and'theshelf supports are formed in the inner wall, the number of protuberancesor depressions is somewhat excessive, making the cost of manufacture ofthe cabinet high as well as increasing the labor of cleaning therefrigerator.

In order to obviate these difilculties, the present invention provides arefrigerator cabinet having adjustable shelves and having but a singleset of shelf supports for each shelf. Adjustment of the vertical levelof the shelf is provided in such a manner that it may be associated withthe, same set of shelf supports in each of a plurality of verticallyspaced positions.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention isclearlyshown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of a refrigerator cabinet embodyinga simpleform of the present invention, part of the cabinet being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a view like Fig. 1 showing a modified form of the invention; v

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a shelf and its shelfsupports embodying a third form of the invention, showing the shelf inone position of adjustment;

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 showing the shelf in anotherposition of adjustment;

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 showing the shelf in a thirdposition of adjustment;

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the variations in shelf spacing and positionpossible with the simple form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the variations in shelf spacing and positionpossible with the form 5 of the invention shown in Fig. 2; and t Fig, 9is a diagram showing the variations in shelf spacing and positionpossible with the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 to 6.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is illustrated a 10 refrigerator cabinetl0 having a liner .l2 preferably formed of one piece of sheet metalwhich forms the innerwalls of the refrigerator cabinet. The liner i2 isformed with struck-up protuberances H having flat tops on which a shelfmay 15 rest. The protuberances ll are arranged in sets, one set for eachshelf, and the protuberances may be arranged as shown so that they aresymmetrical with respect to the vertical center line of the wall onwhich they are formed. Each of the shelves which it is desired to makeadjustable is formed with a horizontal grid portion it formed oftransverse rails I 8. A boundary frame member 20 is secured to the railsl8 in a suitable manner,

as by welding, and is preferably formed as an endless rail as shown.'I'he end portions of the frame 20 are bent to form shelf supportengaging portions which arevertically spaced from the plane of thehorizontal grid portion l6. In the form illustrated, the transverserails i8 are secured to 30 the top of the frame 20 at the front edge ofthe shelf and to the bottom of the frame 20 at the I rear edge thereof.

In operation, adjustment of the shelves is provided by selecting theposition in which .the shelf 35 is placed on the shelf supports i4, andin this embodiment of the invention,.the shelf has two possible levelson the shelf supports I. It may 'be located thereon with the horizontalportion l6 below the plane of the supports 14, as is the top 40 shelf inFig. 1, or it may be positioned with the horizontal portion 16 above theplane of the supports H, as is the bottom shelf in Fig. 1. In

order to change the position of the shelf, it is necessary only toremove it from the supports i4 5 rails l8 are always located on top ofthe frame member 20 at the front edge of the shelf so that there isnothing on which the bottom of articles may catch as they are removedfrom therefrigerator. Referring now to Fig. 'I, it will be seen that theuse of a shelf which is adjustable between two levels on the same shelfsupports provides a variation-in inter-shelf spacing in three incrementsfrom minimum tomaximum. 'It has been found that for the averagehousehold use, there is a certain minimum usable inter-shelf space aswell as a certain maximum usable inter-shelf'space.

In order to attain the greatest use of the adjust-.'

able feature of the shelves, it has been found desirable to provideadjustment such that the in-' Also, if N is the number of possiblelevels of the shelf on its set of shelf supports, then D, theincrement-of inter-shelf spacing, is equal to A--B 2N-2 As an example ofapplying these relations, if A, the maximum usable inter-shelf spacingbe taken as 12" and B, the minimum, be taken as 6",, then C, theaverage, will be 9" and D, the increment, will be 3". It will,therefore, be necessary in order to satisfy these conditions, toconstruct the shelves so that the vertical difference between the twolevels of the horizontal grid portion it be 3". Therefore the supportengaging portion 22 must be spaced 1 from the horizontal portion l8.Theslight variation from these actual values which is introduced by thefinite thickness of the support engaging portion-22 of the frame rail 24is usually so small that it is disregarded here.

Referring now to Fig. 2, there is illustrated a second form of theinvention in which the shelf has three possible levels of verticaladjustment on one set of shelf supports. Inthis form of the invention,the cabinet construction is the same as in Fig. 1 except that theprotuberances 24 and 26 are unsymmetrical with respect to the verticalcenter line of the side walls of the inner liner. Thus, the rearprotuberance 26 is nearer to the rear edge of the side wall than thefront protuberance 24 is to the front edge of the side wall. The shelvesin this form of the invention may comprise a horizontal grid portionformed of the transverse rails 30 which, as shown, are secured tothesame side of the boundary frame member 32 at both the front and rearedges. The frame member 22 is provided at' the end of the shelvesadjacent the side walls of the refrigerator with support engagingportions 34 and 36 in substantially the same plane as the horizontalportion 28. An additional rail member 38 is provided to form othersupport engagi portions 40 and 42 which are vertically spaced from theplane of the grid portion 28. In vertical register with the supportengaging portion 42, thereis formed adjacent the support engagingportion 36 a support clearing portion 44 which is preferably an off-setformed by bending the boundary frame member 22 in the manner shown.

Likewise, at the opposite edge of the shelf, the rail 28 is secured tothe frame member 22 by a vertical post Ill in a manner to provide asupport clearing portion between the free end of the rail 38 and theframe member 32.

The drawing illustrates the three possible levels of the shelf withrespect to the shelf supports. The lowermost shelf level is obtainedwhen the shelf is mounted on the supports 24 and 26 in the position inwhich the top shelf is shown. In this position, the horizontal portion28 is positioned belowthe support engaging portions 40 and 42, which inturn engage the supports 26 and 24 respectively. .The shelf may beinsertedin this position by raising the front end of the shelf above thesupports 24 and first engaging the support engaging portions 40 with thesupport 28 as shown. The forward edge of the shelf may then be loweredpermitting the support clearing portions 44 to pass the supports 24,thus engaging the support engaging portions 42 and supports 24. Theintermediate level of the shelf in which the middle shelf is illustratedis obtained by turning the shelf 180 about a vertical axis from theposition illustrated by the top shelf.

The shelf may then be inserted in the cabinet above the supports 24 and26 and loweredto rest the support engaging portions 24 and 26 on thesupports 24 and 26'. 'It will be noted that due to the unsymmetricalspacing 'of the'supports 24 and 26 from their adjacent edges of the sidewall that the support clearing portion 44 will not register with therear support 26.- In order to obtain the upper-most level of the shelfillustrated by the lower shelf in Fig. 2, the shelf may be turned 180about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the back wall of the cabinetand then inserted in the cabinet above the supports 24 and 26 andlowered to rest thereon. In this position, the rails 38 again engage thesupports 24 and 26 but at different support engaging D rtions 48 and 50.

The possible variations in the inter-shelf spacing which may be achievedby the second form of the invention are illustrated in Fig. 8. If it isdesired to vary the inter-shelf space in equal increments from minimumto maximum, suitable values are substituted in the relations establishedin connection with the form shown in Fig. 1. As a numerical example, themaximum A may be taken as 14" and theminimum B as 6". The number ofpossible shelf levels is, of course, three. The spacing C for the shelfsupports then becomes 10" and the increment of inter-shelf spacingbecomes 2". It will be seen that a threelevel shelf gives 5 possibleinter-shelf spacings as shown by the diagrams I to 5 inclusive, in Fig.8. The three intermediate inter-shelf spacings may be duplicated inother positions of the shelves as shown in diagrams 2A, 3A, 3B, .and 4A.Thus, it is possible to maintain a desired inter-shelf spacingcorresponding to diagrams 2, 3 or 4 while varying an inter-shelf spacingabove or below the same- Referring now to Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, afurther modification of the invention is illustrated which does notsubstantially increase the cost of the shelf over the form illustratedin Fig. 2, but which provides four possible levels for each shelf. Inthis form of the invention, .the supports 24 and 28 are unsymmetricallyspaced as in Fig. 2. The shelf is formed with a horizontal grid portion52 formed of transverse rails 54. The rails l4 are illustrated as beingmounted flush with the boundary frame member 58 at both forward and rearedges. The boundary frame member It is plane are in vertical registerwith the support engaging portions 58 and 60 and permit the shelf to belowered past the supports to the position de- 15 scribed. In order toraise the shelf one step,

the shelf is turned 180 in the direction of the arrow A so that theshelf engaging portions 66 and 68 in the other plane engage the supports24 and 26 respectively. In order to raise the 20' shelf another step, itis rotated next in the di-' rection of the arrow B so that supportengaging portions 10 and I2 engage the supports 26 and 26 respectively.The portions I and 12 comprise the same rail portions as the portions 66and 68 25 but the other engaging portions in each case are the oppositesurfaces of the rail. In this position, the support clearing portions"and 16 are in vertical register withthe support engaging portions 10and I2 and permit the shelf to be low- 30 ered s'ufliciently afterinsertion toengage the portions 10 and 12 with the supports. In order toobtain the highest level of the shelf, the shelf is again turned 180 inthe direction of the arrow C, when the support engaging portions 18 35and 80 will engage supports Hand 26 respectively. The portions 18 and 80are likewise merely the surfaces of the rail opposite the portions 58and 60. v

Fig. 9 illustrates the 7 possible inter-shelf spac- 40 ings with thepresent form of theinvention. If

'the maximum A be taken as 15" and the minimum B as 6", the spacing'forthe supports becomes 10 and the increment of inter-shelf spacing becomes1%". With a four level shelf 45 there will also be 9 other possiblearrangements in which the inter-shelf spacings of Diagrams 2 to 6 willbe duplicated permitting maintenance of each-of these inter-shelfspacings while varying the inter-shelf space above or below the same. Itwill be understood that various modifications of the invention may bemade, for example, the invention is adapted touse with other forms ofsupport such as hooks or pegs attached to the side walls.- Likewise, anyof the constructions of shelf grid illustrated may be used, or otherforms of grid may be used with any of the shelf constructionsillustrated. Also, while the shelf supports. have been shown aspositioned in the side walls of the "cabinet, the invention is notlimited to this feature, inasmuch as the shelf supports may be partly orentirely positioned on other walls of the cabinet. Although butthreespecific forms have-been illustrated, it will be understood that theprinciples disclosed may be carried further to 10 provide shelves havinga greater number of possible shelf levels. In the' form illustrated inFig. 2, the support clearing portions at the rear edge of the top shelfmay be formed in the same manner as those formed at the front edgethereof I as is illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6. While it is preferred tomake each of the shelves in a cabinet adjustable as described, it willbe understood that this is not essential and cabinets may be constructedembodying the present invention together l with one or morenon-adjustable shelves.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it will be understood that other formsmight be ,adopted, all coming within the scope of the claim I whichfollows.

What is claimed is as follows: if In a refrigerator cabinet havinghorizontally aligned shelf supports an opposed upright walls thereof, ashelf having means whereby it may be supported by said supports in anyone of four or" more horizontal planes relative to the supports withinsaid cabinet, said shelf comprising a hori zontal portion forming anarticle support and said means comprising a plurality of supportengaging portions formed integral with said h V ntal article supportportion thereof, certain o I id 1 support engaging portions of saidshelf being vertically \spaced from the integral horizontal articlesupport portion thereof, said shelf being 40 supportable on said alignedshelf supports by one of said plurality of sets of shelf supportengaging portions with the horizontal article support portion thereofdisposed in a normal predetermined vertical plane relative to said shelfsupports, and

said shelf being selectively rotatable about a vertical axis or turnable180 about a horizontal axis to support same on said aligned shelfsupports by another of said plurality of sets of shelf support engagingportions to position its horio zontal article support portion in-eitherof three or more spaced vertical planes relative to said normalpredetermined plane thereof.

' JOHN R. FEHCR.

